A variety of cleansing implements have been used to remove dirt and dead skin from the user's body during bathing or showering. Traditionally, hand held terry washcloths and natural and synthetic sponges have been used. Each of these has one or more significant deficiencies. For example, a sponge has pores which make it difficult to remove dirt from the implement once the dirt is transferred from the body. A washcloth often impedes lathering even though lathering is a primary function of a cleansing implement. Neither sponges nor washcloths can be dried quickly because they become water-logged. As a result they develop unpleasant odors and become a place for breeding bacteria, mold, etc.
More recently, ball-like structures made of polymer netting have been found in the prior art. An example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,744 to Campagnoli, issued Sep. 8, 1992. This implement is made of diamond-mesh polyethylene. Diamond-mesh polyethylene is an extruded scrim material which is commonly found covering vegetables, meat, and poultry. The implement of Campagnoli is made by stretching multiple tubular pieces of diamond-mesh scrim transversely to their tubular axes and placing each piece over separate support posts. The supported pieces, held in a stretched condition, are arranged either parallel to or at different angles to each other. By tying together the stretched pieces at their centers, and then releasing the pieces from their support posts, each piece springs back toward the tied center to generate a ball-like shape. Commercially available implements of this type are sold by The Body Shop of London, England; and by Bilange of New York, N.Y.
Prior art structures similar to Campagnoli's have the stretched pieces of gathered diamond-mesh scrim cinched at their centers to produce hard dense cores, which hinder rinsing and drying. Campagnoli's structure is therefore difficult to rinse and dry for sanitary reuse.